Experimental system particularly for use in microscopy

Abstract

To provide an experimental system which meets a safety requirement, and which comprises an experimental apparatus requiring supply of a fluid, particularly, a liquid, and / or a fluid, particularly, a liquid, needed to be discarded.SOLUTION: An experimental system (100) includes an experimental apparatus (130) that has an artificial climate chamber (160) and / or a culture system (140) provided on an experimental bench (120). In the experimental system (100), the experimental bench (120) has at least one storage part (180) that is constituted to house at least one fluid reservoir (110) connected to the experimental apparatus (130).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The concept of the present invention generally relates to an experimental system comprising an experimental apparatus that requires a supply of fluid, particularly a liquid and / or a fluid that needs to be discarded, particularly a liquid. More specifically, the experimental system may include a microscope, the microscope having an immersion system for supplying and / or discarding an immersion liquid, and / or using a culture system for supplying and / or discarding a fluid, particularly a gas and / or a liquid, that is a component of the culture atmosphere within the sample chamber of the microscope.

Background Art

[0002] For example, an experimental apparatus equipped with an artificial climate chamber is known, and one or more fluids, particularly liquids, taken from a fluid reservoir need to be supplied to this artificial climate chamber, while the used or worn-out fluids need to be returned to another fluid reservoir. Such liquid reservoirs are typically placed next to the experimental apparatus, thereby wasting valuable space that could otherwise be used as a working space in the laboratory. Also, the tubes and hoses required to transfer the fluid tend to clutter the working space and are prone to damage or kinking.

[0003] An example of such an experimental apparatus includes, without loss of generality, a microscope equipped with an artificial climate chamber that forms or includes a sample chamber for inspecting a sample, particularly a biological sample such as a cell. To generate a culture atmosphere within the sample chamber, the microscope can be connected to a culture system. The culture system provides a culture atmosphere of a predetermined composition and / or a predetermined temperature. Typically, the CO2 content, humidity, and temperature of the culture atmosphere are controlled. For this purpose, it is necessary to supply gas and / or liquid to the culture system.

[0004] Another example relates to microscopes used in immersion microscopy, where the immersion fluid is supplied from a reservoir to the front lens of the microscope objective. The immersion fluid is typically aqueous or oil-based. For example, for immersion with a water immersion objective lens, the water is usually drained from a water reservoir located somewhere inside or outside the microscope. Often, immersion microscopes with a culture sample chamber are used. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] The circumstances described above necessitate improved handling of such experimental equipment. In particular, safety requirements must be met in the laboratories where such equipment is used. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The concept of the present invention provides an improved experimental system according to claim 1, comprising an experimental apparatus placed on the table surface of an experimental bench, wherein the experimental bench has at least one housing on the underside of the table surface of the experimental bench, the housing configured to house at least one fluid reservoir connected to the experimental apparatus. According to the concept of the present invention, at least one fluid reservoir no longer needs to be placed next to or inside the experimental apparatus, and can be "stored" on the underside of the table surface by placing at least one fluid reservoir in at least one housing configured to house one or more fluid reservoirs. Thus, valuable workspace that was visibly taken up by the fluid reservoir can now be freely used by the operator of the experimental apparatus. Since one or more housings are part of the experimental bench on the underside of the experimental apparatus, the footprint of the experimental system is minimized. Furthermore, existing experimental benches can be modified to have one or more housings necessary to house at least one fluid reservoir.

[0007] The concept of the present invention further enables faster and safer operation of the experimental apparatus. This is because the storage location of the fluid reservoir is predetermined, the fluid reservoir within the housing is protected from potential damage, tilting, and detachment, and the tubes and hoses are effectively protected from damage or twisting, thereby meeting operational safety requirements.

[0008] The following describes other advantages and embodiments of the concept of the present invention.

[0009] In one preferred embodiment, the experimental apparatus includes an artificial climate chamber and / or a culture system. Examples of artificial climate chambers and culture systems have been described above in relation to a microscope used as at least part of the experimental apparatus. In this embodiment, the experimental system further comprises a first fluid supply system that supplies at least one fluid to the artificial climate chamber and / or culture system, the fluid supply system being connected to at least one fluid reservoir capable of storing the at least one fluid. For example, if the experimental system includes a microscope and a culture system, the artificial climate chamber may be an integrated artificial climate chamber built into the microscope. The artificial climate chamber may form or include the sample chamber of the microscope (culture sample chamber), or it may form a small chamber (stage-top incubator) containing a microenvironment surrounding most of the top surface of the sample itself. To generate a culture atmosphere within the artificial climate chamber, the microscope is connected to the culture system. The culture system provides a culture atmosphere of a predetermined composition and / or temperature. Typically, the CO2 content, humidity, and temperature of the culture atmosphere are controlled. To this end, gases and / or liquids must be supplied to the culture system and / or the artificial climate chamber itself.

[0010] Preferably, the first fluid supply system includes one or more fluid pumps and tubing for supplying a fluid (which is liquid and / or gaseous) to the artificial climate chamber and / or culture system. Examples of such fluids are water, carbon dioxide, or nitrogen. Water is typically used to create a culture atmosphere of a predetermined humidity. Carbon dioxide or nitrogen is used to adjust the CO2 content of the atmosphere. This fluid supply system is connected to a fluid reservoir or each fluid reservoir to supply the fluid to the artificial climate chamber and / or culture system. To minimize the footprint of the experimental system, the first fluid supply system is advantageously integrated into the experimental apparatus and / or experimental bench wherever possible. Examples are described below, with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Apart from one or more fluid / liquid pumps and tubes / hoses, the first fluid supply system may include one or more through guides for the tubes / hoses (the term "hose" may be considered interchangeable with "tube"). Such through guides assist in integrating the tubes into the experimental apparatus and / or experimental bench, thereby avoiding the external mounting of flexible tubes and hoses outside the experimental bench and / or experimental apparatus.

[0012] In this regard, it is advantageous that the at least one fluid pump is located on or within the experimental bench, in or within the culture system, in or within the experimental apparatus, and / or in or within the artificial climate chamber. This also helps to minimize the footprint of the system.

[0013] In one preferred embodiment, the experimental apparatus includes a microscope equipped with at least one immersion objective lens, and the experimental system further includes a second fluid supply system for supplying an immersion fluid to the immersion objective lens, the second fluid supply system being connected to at least one fluid reservoir capable of storing the immersion fluid. The immersion fluid is typically an immersion liquid supplied from the immersion reservoir to the front lens of the microscope objective lens. The immersion liquid is typically aqueous or oil-based. Often, immersion microscopes with an artificial climate chamber are used for examining living cells (see embodiments described above).

[0014] Therefore, in embodiments of immersion microscopes, without limiting generality, unless otherwise specified, liquid is considered an example of the general term "fluid." The second fluid / liquid supply system typically includes one or more fluid pumps and tubing for guiding the immersion liquid, supplying one or more immersion liquids to the immersion objective lens. Here again, in order to minimize the footprint of the experimental system, the second fluid / liquid supply system is incorporated into the experimental apparatus and / or experimental bench, advantageously where possible. Examples are described below, with reference to the drawings.

[0015] Apart from one or more fluid / liquid pumps and tubes / hoses, a second fluid supply system may also include one or more through guides for the tubes / hoses (the term "hose" may be considered interchangeable with "tube"). Such through guides assist in integrating the tubes into the experimental apparatus and / or experimental bench, thereby avoiding the external mounting of flexible tubes and hoses outside the experimental bench and / or experimental apparatus.

[0016] In this regard, it is advantageous that the at least one fluid pump is located on or within the experimental bench and / or in or within the experimental apparatus / microscope. This also helps to minimize the footprint of the system.

[0017] In one embodiment, at least one housing has at least one of one or more container chambers, one or more name tags, and one or more retaining parts. The container chambers are configured to house fluid reservoirs, and it may also be advantageous if the container chambers are configured to house two or more fluid reservoirs. Name tags may be used to indicate the type of fluid / liquid stored in each container chamber. The retaining parts are suitable for preventing the fluid / liquid reservoirs from tilting, in particular, falling out of the container chambers.

[0018] At least one housing of the experimental system may, in particular, be in the form of a rack incorporated into the experimental bench. At least one housing may be incorporated into one or more bench legs, or may form at least part of one or more bench legs of the experimental bench. These embodiments also help minimize the footprint of the system and enable a compact design of the experimental system.

[0019] As already mentioned above, the liquid supply system preferably includes at least one through-guide located adjacent to the experimental bench and the experimental apparatus. Such a through-guide enables an optimal connection between the experimental apparatus and the fluid reservoir, minimizing the length of the tubing and avoiding external tubing.

[0020] As already shown in the introduction of this specification, one preferred embodiment of the experimental apparatus is a microscope. The microscope preferably has an artificial climate chamber which includes or constitutes a sample chamber for containing the sample to be examined by the microscope. Furthermore, the microscope may be connected to a culture system, in which case the culture system is another part of the experimental apparatus for providing a culture atmosphere to the microscope's sample chamber / artificial climate chamber. Alternatively, the microscope itself has a (integrated) culture system.

[0021] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any combination of one or more of the items listed relating to the subject, and may be abbreviated as " / ".

[0022] Note that other embodiments can be achieved by combining, in whole or in part, the above-described features of the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention, which still fall within the scope of the concept of the present invention defined in the appended claims.

[0023] Hereinafter, further embodiments and advantages of the concept of the present invention will be described in relation to the following figures.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 schematically shows one embodiment of an experimental system according to the concept of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 schematically shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 from another perspective. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a part of one embodiment of the concept of the present invention in more detail. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing another part of one embodiment of the concept of the present invention in more detail. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the experimental system. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the experimental system. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows yet another embodiment of the experimental system. [[ID=�3]] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows yet another embodiment of the experimental system. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 shows yet another embodiment of the experimental system according to the concept of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows yet another embodiment of the experimental system according to the concept of the present invention.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0026] Figure 1 schematically shows one embodiment of the concept of the present invention in a perspective view from the right, where the experimental system 100 has an experimental apparatus 130 positioned on the table surface 122 of an experimental bench 120. The experimental bench 120 has a housing 180 configured to house one liquid reservoir 110 connected to the experimental apparatus 130 for supplying liquid to the experimental apparatus 130 and / or discarding liquid from the experimental apparatus 130.

[0027] In the following description, the experimental apparatus 130 comprises a microscope 132 and a culture system 140 for generating a culture atmosphere inside the artificial climate chamber 160 of the microscope 132.

[0028] As can be seen from Figure 1, the microscope 132 is connected to the culture system 140. The culture system 140 provides a culture atmosphere with a predetermined CO2 content, humidity, and temperature within the artificial climate chamber 160 of the microscope 132. For this purpose, the culture system 140 and / or the artificial climate chamber 160 must be supplied with a fluid, particularly a liquid and / or gas.

[0029] On the other hand, the microscope 132 in Figure 1 is configured as an immersion microscope having an immersion objective lens (not shown). Typically, the immersion objective lens is part of an inverted microscope and is therefore located beneath the specimen being examined, i.e., beneath the artificial climate chamber 160.

[0030] In this embodiment shown in Figure 1, the liquid reservoir 110 is a bottle that contains a liquid, particularly water, used to generate a culture medium, i.e., a culture atmosphere.

[0031] The bottle 110 shown in Figure 1 is located inside the container chamber 182 and is connected to a flexible tube 194. This tube 194 is located below the tabletop of the experimental bench 120 and leads to the culture system 140 (see Figure 2).

[0032] The bottle 110 shown in Figure 2 is located within the corresponding housing 180 and is connected to a tube 154 guided to a liquid pump 152 through one or more through guides 156, as shown in Figure 1. The liquid pump 152, the through guides 156, and the tube 154 together form a second immersion supply system 150, as shown in Figure 1. The liquid pump 152 supplies immersion liquid to the immersion objective lens of the microscope 132.

[0033] As will become clearer from the viewpoint shown in Figure 2, the bottle 110 shown in Figure 1 is connected to the culture system 140 via a flexible tube / hose 194, as also shown in Figure 2. On the other hand, the two bottles 110 shown in Figure 2 are connected to the fluid pump 152 via the tube 154 shown in Figure 1. In this way, the length of the tube can be kept as short as possible. However, different connections may be appropriate depending on the specific application.

[0034] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the housing 180 is formed within racks integrated into the two bench legs on opposite sides of the experimental bench 120. This results in an experimental system 100 with an extremely small footprint, so that the small, and therefore valuable, workspace is not taken up by the liquid reservoir, and the tubes 154, 194 are protected from damage and twisting, thereby meeting the requirements for work safety.

[0035] As will be further described below, another liquid / fluid pump may be part of a first fluid supply system 190 connected to or incorporated into the culture system 140 and / or artificial climate chamber 160. In this embodiment, the pump 152 is located in the experimental apparatus 130, more precisely in a recess of the experimental apparatus 130 or the microscope 132.

[0036] Figure 3 shows in more detail the tubing arrangement of one or more tubes 154 leading to the liquid pump 152. The tubes 154 are guided from the bottle 110 through several through guides 156 to exit the experimental bench 120 below the experimental apparatus 130. This tubing arrangement ensures that the tubes 154 do not obstruct the working space of the experimental system and are not damaged or twisted.

[0037] Figure 4 shows another detail view of the two bottles 110 arranged within each of the two symmetrically positioned storage compartments 180. As can be seen from Figure 4, each storage compartment 180 has a container chamber 182, a name tag 484, and a retaining portion 486. In this embodiment, the name tag indicates whether the liquid in the bottle 110 is "fresh" or "waste". The retaining portion 486 ensures that the bottle 110 is safely stored and that the bottle 110 is prevented from tilting or falling out of the chamber 182. Furthermore, each bottle 110 has a fluid level indicator. The (immersion) liquid is guided from the upper bottle 110 containing the "fresh" liquid through a tube 154 to the immersion objective lens of the microscope 132, while the (immersion) liquid of the immersion objective lens, whether used or "waste", is returned to the lower bottle 110 through another tube 154, as shown in Figure 4.

[0038] Figures 5 and 6 show another embodiment of the experimental system 100, including experimental apparatus 130, which includes an artificial climate chamber 160 and a culture system 140. Experimental apparatus 130 is located on the table surface 122 of experimental bench 120. Figures 5 and 6 show in more detail one possible implementation of a first fluid supply system 190 for supplying at least one fluid to the artificial climate chamber 160 and / or culture system 140. A fluid reservoir / bottle 110 is connected to the culture system 140 via a flexible tube 194 and a fluid pump 192. Multiple through guides 196 are provided inside the experimental bench 120 to avoid the tube being located outside the experimental bench 120 and to keep the length of the tube as short as possible. The pump 192 is located below the table surface of the experimental bench 120 and is configured to discharge liquid / water from the bottle 110 and guide it to the culture system 140. Typically, water is used as the liquid, which allows the culture system 140 to control a predetermined humidity within the artificial climate chamber 160.

[0039] Figures 7 and 8 show yet another embodiment of the experimental system 100, similar to that shown in Figures 5 and 6. Therefore, only the differences from the embodiments in Figures 5 and 6 will be described here. As can be seen from Figures 7 and 8, a pump 192 for pumping a culture fluid, such as water, from a bottle 110 is located inside the artificial climate chamber 160. As can be seen from Figure 8, a supply tube 194 passes through the inside of the experimental bench 120, and further through the table surface 122 of the experimental bench 120 and the inside of the experimental apparatus 130 or microscope 132 to enter the artificial climate chamber 160. The corresponding through guides are not shown in Figures 7 and 8. The culture fluid pump 192 may further include, or be connected to, a vaporizer for supplying water vapor into the artificial climate chamber 160. Alternatively, the pump 192 may be incorporated into the culture system 140.

[0040] Figures 9 and 10 show another embodiment of the experimental system 100 with an alternative arrangement of the pump 152 of the second fluid supply system 150. As shown in Figure 9, in this embodiment the immersion pump 152 is located in the experimental bench 120, below the table surface of the experimental bench 120 and adjacent to the bottle 110. As can be seen from Figure 10, the supply tube 154 supplies fresh water / immersion from the upper bottle 110 via the pump 152 and via another tube 154 in the microscope 132 to the immersion objective lens of the microscope 132. Waste water / immersion is returned to the lower bottle 110. A through guide 156 is also shown.

[0041] It should be noted that the embodiments described above based on Figures 1 to 10 are not limited to the descriptions provided herein, and that elements of different drawings / embodiments can be combined to form novel embodiments that are not explicitly shown in the drawings but are still covered by the concept of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the arrangement shown for immersion supply may be used for culture atmosphere supply, and vice versa. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0042] 100 experimental systems 110 Fluid reservoir 120 Experimental benches 122 Table surface 130 Experimental apparatus 132 Microscope 140 Culture system 150 Second fluid supply system 152 Fluid pumps 154 Tubes 156 Penetration guide part 160 Artificial climate chamber, sample chamber 180 Storage Units 182 Container room 190 First fluid supply system 192 Fluid pumps 194 Tubes 196 Penetration guide part 484 Name Tag 486 Holder part

Claims

1. An experimental system (100), The experimental system (100) includes an experimental apparatus (130) disposed on a table surface (122) of an experimental bench (120); the laboratory bench (120) has at least one receptacle (180) below the tabletop (122) of the laboratory bench (120), the receptacle (180) configured to receive at least one fluid reservoir (110) connected to the laboratory apparatus (130); Experimental system (100).

2. The experimental apparatus (130) comprises an artificial climate chamber (160) and / or a culture system (140); The experimental system (100) further comprises a first fluid supply system (190) for supplying at least one fluid to the climate chamber (160) and / or the culture system (140), the first fluid supply system (190) being connected to the at least one fluid reservoir (110) capable of storing the at least one fluid. The experimental system (100) of claim 1.

3. The first fluid supply system (190) comprises at least one of one or more fluid pumps (192), one or more tubes (194), and one or more through guides (196) for the one or more tubes (194). The experimental system (100) of claim 2.

4. the experimental system (100) comprises at least one said fluid pump (192), the at least one fluid pump (192) being arranged on the experimental bench (120), on or in the culture system (140), on or in the experimental apparatus (130) and / or on or in the climate chamber (160); The experimental system (100) of claim 3.

5. the laboratory setup (130) comprises a microscope with at least one immersion objective; The experimental system (100) further comprises a second fluid supply system (150) for supplying an immersion fluid to the immersion objective lens, the second fluid supply system (150) being connected to the at least one fluid reservoir (110) capable of storing the immersion fluid. The experimental system (100) of claim 1.

6. The second fluid supply system (150) comprises at least one of one or more fluid pumps (152), one or more tubes (154), and one or more through guides (156) for the one or more tubes (154). The experimental system (100) of claim 5.

7. the laboratory system (100) comprises at least one fluid pump (152), the at least one fluid pump (152) being disposed on the laboratory bench (120) and / or on or within the laboratory apparatus (130); The experimental system (100) of claim 6.

8. The at least one housing (180) comprises at least one of one or more container chambers (182), one or more name tags (484), and one or more carrier portions (486). The experimental system (100) of claim 1.

9. said at least one storage unit (180) being in the form of a rack integrated into said laboratory bench (120); The experimental system (100) of claim 1.

10. said at least one housing (180) being integrated into or forming at least a portion of one or more bench legs of said laboratory bench (120); The experimental system (100) of claim 1.

11. the first or second fluid supply system (190; 150) comprises at least one through-passage (196; 156), at least one of the at least one through-passage (196; 156) being located adjacent to the laboratory bench (120) and the laboratory apparatus (130); The experimental system (100) of claim 3 or 5.

12. The experimental apparatus (130) includes a microscope. The experimental system (100) of claim 1.

13. The experimental apparatus (130) comprises a microscope, The microscope comprises a climatic chamber (160) comprising a specimen chamber for containing a specimen to be examined by the microscope. The experimental system (100) of claim 2.

14. The experimental setup (130) includes the incubation system (140), and the microscope is connected to the incubation system (140) for providing an incubation atmosphere to the sample chamber of the microscope. The experimental system (100) of claim 13.

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